


Look At Their Feet

by SummerStormFlower



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Axel is a bad big brother, Crushes, F/F, Friendship, Gen, Kairi is convinced that Riku is mean, Kairi is funny, M/M, Mario Kart, Naminé is shy, Riku isn’t a good wingman, Sora is Kairi's best friend, Weirdness, mainly Kairi and Riku friendship, working up the nerve to ask your crush out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-08-20 23:00:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20235787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerStormFlower/pseuds/SummerStormFlower
Summary: Kairi wants to ask out her crush, and her best friend Sora falls sick when she needs his support. Not knowing who else to turn to, she asks Sora's boyfriend for help.Worst idea. Ever.





	Look At Their Feet

It should be against the law to look so cute, Kairi thinks. The professor—Ms. Aqua—is saying something and writing a paragraph on the whiteboard that Kairi should really be copying down, but her gaze is glued to the girl by the window. She can’t take her eyes off of her, and if she’s completely honest, she doesn’t really want to. Kairi has never seen a more beautiful sight. From head to toe, the girl was utterly enchanting. A sea of golden hair, big blue eyes framed by the cutest glasses, rosy cheeks...

Kairi smiles, pleasantly content to let the butterflies in her stomach dance. I changed my mind, she thinks, If it were against the law to be so cute, then I wouldn’t be able to look at her.

Sora pokes Kairi’s arm one, two, three times, pressing harder each time.

Finally, Kairi gives him an annoyed look.

“You’re drifting again,” he whispers.

“I know. It’s by choice.” Kairi catches a glimpse of Sora’s eye roll before she returns her attention to Naminé... who’s packing up her things. “She’s leaving,” Kairi gasps in horror, grabbing Sora’s shoulder, “Why is she leaving?”

Sora laughs, shaking Kairi’s hand off his shoulder. “Because the bell rang,” he tells her, standing up and packing up his own things.

Kairi blinks. “Oh.” She sighs a breath of relief.

Sora laughs again. “Calm down. You might have a heart attack.”

“I’ll have you know I almost did.”

This only makes Sora laugh harder, but the sound fades away, as Kairi watches Naminé leave the classroom.

She’s had this giant crush for a ridiculous amount of time now. She would do absolutely anything to ask Naminé out, but there was just one problem; Naminé was extremely shy. Hardly spoke a word to anyone. Nobody knew anything about her. She was a secret, a puzzle, a mystery. It made her all the more alluring.

“C’mon, lovesick puppy,” Sora says, nudging Kairi, “We have a test to study for, and you’re gonna need my help, since you weren’t listening.”

“I can’t help myself,” Kairi whines, her gaze lingering on the doorway Naminé had just disappeared through, “I’m beyond saving.”

“I know. Now get up. I’m not carrying you.”

“Whyyyyy not?” Kairi whines even louder.

Sora huffs, but the grin on his face is fond. “You’re such a child.”

“You’re the same way with Riku.” Kairi smirks when Sora blushes a red so bright, it rivals the colour of her hair. “Victory.”

“Oh shut up.”

“Victory.”

“Kairi.”  
**********  
Even after three hours, Kairi still can’t stop thinking about Naminé. Naminé’s little smile, Naminé’s glasses, Naminé’s almost unnoticeable earring. A tiny ballerina hanging from her left earlobe. That time Naminé helped her pick up her books off the floor.

“Kairi.”

That time Naminé bought her lunch when she forgot her money at home.

“Hello? Kairi?”

That time Naminé waved at her when they crossed paths in the supermarket.

“Earth to Kairi!”

That time—

“Kairi!”

Kairi blinks, and looks at her brother. “What?” Axel glares at her. Kairi has no idea why. (Unless he found his favourite bracelet, broken, in Kairi’s desk drawer).

“Can you pass the salt please?”

“Of course.” Kairi passes the salt, wondering why he didn’t just ask that before. Axel gives her one last glare, irritation in his green eyes. (Maybe he had found his bracelet).

Sora then poked Kairi’s cheek, grinning wide in amusement. He was staying over at Kairi's house for the evening. He was here so often, he might as well have lived here. "Thinking about 'her' again, huh?"

Kairi smacks Sora's hand, but he only laughs. "I told you not to say-"

"What's this I hear?" Axel asks, eyebrows raised in curiosity. He leans forward on the table, his lips pulling up in a mischievous smirk. "Kairi has the hots for someone?"

Kairi groans. Axel is the last person she wanted to know about Naminé.

"Sorry," Sora says, but he's laughing and doesn't sound 'sorry' at all.

"Who is it?" Axel asks, "Who is it, who is it, who is it? I'm not gonna stop until you tell me."

"Shut up!" Kairi throws her corn at him. He retaliates by flicking his peas at her, and Sora just keeps laughing. "Can't you leave me alone?"

"No way," Axel says, "This is payback for making fun of me when I had a crush." He kicks the bottom of Kairi's chair under the table.

"That was completely different!" Kairi exclaims, stomping on Axel's foot, initiating a war that Axel quickly wins by trapping her ankles between his much longer legs. "You had a crush on your best friend's brother! Twin brother, might I add, and it was hilarious." 

"It's not like I ever mixed them up!" Axel recoils his feet when Kairi gets free and stomps on his toes again. "Roxas and Ventus are like night and day! Everybody who knows them can easily tell them apart."

"You're forgetting the time you slapped Ven's ass, thinking it was Roxas."

"That was one time, and I was sleep deprived!"

Their argument soon turns into an intense food fight, and Sora doesn't stop laughing for a long time. It lasts ten minutes, neither side backing down, until they get a phone call from their grandma. To avoid a punishment of epic proportions, they form a peace treaty and clean up the mess they made in the dining room. 

They take care of everything and Sora leaves before their grandma gets back from work, reminding Kairi to study. She promises to remember, but it slips her mind after five minutes.

**********

Laying under the covers with her stuffed sheep tucked under her chin, Kairi's thoughts wander to Naminé again. Cute smile, gorgeous hair, sparkling eyes. Flawless. Everything about her is perfect. Her perfection is going to kill Kairi. She wants to run her fingers through Naminé's hair. She wants to hold her in her arms.

And she wants to kiss her so, so badly, more than anything she’s ever wanted. 

"So, what's the deal with this chick?" Axel asks from the bed beneath her. Kairi can’t remember a time they hadn't shared a room. Maybe they were a little too old for the arrangement, but they didn't have much of a choice. Their house only has two bedrooms.

"No deal," Kairi replies.

She doesn't need to see to know that Axel's eyebrows are raised when he says, "There's a deal. If there wasn't a deal, you'd already be dating this girl."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you. I was there when you asked that waitress out. You asked for her number before you even asked for her name."

"Oh yeah," Kairi says, recalling the memory. She pouts, "I was so sad when she turned out straight."

"Not only that, but she was way older than you and she had a ring on her finger."

"Well I was a too busy admiring her to notice that."

Axel laughs. "Yeah, you were," he agrees. "So why haven't you asked this girl out?" he asks. There's no teasing lilt to his voice, so Kairi knows he's genuinely curious.

"Do I have to tell you?" Kairi asks instead of answering. Because she really doesn't want love advice from her brother.

"If you want to sleep soundly without disturbance, yes," Axel says.

Kairi stays silent as a test.

"I will sing.”

“Fine,” Kairi sighs, "I haven't asked her out yet because I'm afraid I'm gonna scare her away. She's really shy."

"Ah," Axel says, and Kairi can tell he's nodding his head in understanding. "That is a problem."

"You think?" Kairi says sarcastically. Then she sighs again, despairing at the thought of never telling Naminé about her feelings. "What should I do?"

"I honestly don't know," Axel responds, shrugging, to Kairi’s disappointment, "Never asked a shy guy out before."

"That's because you were the shy guy."

"I was not!"

"I know Roxas is the one who confessed first. Ven told me."

Axel is quiet for a moment and Kairi wonders if he's going to say anything. Then she hears, "I'm gonna strangle him."

Kairi giggles. She can feel the intensity of Axel's blush, even though she can't see it. "You do that," she says, laughing when Axel groans in embarrassment. He's so rarely embarrassed, she treasures the moments she can get under her brother's skin. "I'm pretty sure Ven can take you though. Now, may I go to sleep? Or are you really going to sing?"

"I hate you so much. I should sing, just to spite you."

"Ven also told me Roxas is the one who initiated your first kiss."

"Okay, you've made your point painfully clear! Go to sleep!"

**********

Kairi awoke the next morning to two realizations. First realization: she hadn’t studied for her test. Second: if she thought of Naminé as impossible, then she would be impossible. Like they say, ‘whether you think you can do it or not, you’re always right’. Or something like that. She’s actually not sure where she heard it.

But it makes sense. It’s all about one’s mindset. And Kairi knows someone who always has a great mindset; someone who will boast her confidence and encourage her.

“Sora is sick?!” Kairi balks.

Riku gives her a blank stare. “That’s what I said.”

This ruins everything! Without Sora, she can’t confess to Naminé. She’ll lose her nerve, make a fool out of herself, and rush to the bathroom to sob hysterically. 

“But whyyyyyyy?” Kairi whines, sinking to her knees beside Riku’s desk, laying her head on it, “He wasn’t sick yesterday.”

“It was a chilly evening,” Riku says, moving his books aside so Kairi doesn’t knock them over, “Maybe his sinuses are reacting to the change of season. Or maybe he just caught a cold.”

Kairi whines again, “But why?”

“Because the human body—“

“I know, it’s just,” Kairi huffs in frustration, then deflates sadly, “I needed him today.

“Did you forget to study again?” Riku asks.

“No. Yes.”

“Honestly—“

“But that’s not why I need him.”

Riku blinks, curiosity piqued. “What did you need him for?”

“I needed him to be my wingman.” Naminé enters the classroom, and Kairi watches her unpack her books forlornly. So close. Yet so far. 

“Your wingman?” Riku repeats with an arched eyebrow. He always reminds her of Axel when he does that.

“Yeah. I was gonna ask my crush out today, but—“ Kairi gasps suddenly and grins at Riku, who looks taken aback by the abrupt change of her mood, “Unless you be my wingman!” Why didn’t she think of that before? If one’s best friend is unavailable, obviously, one goes to their best friend’s boyfriend for support! 

Riku blinks at her. “No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Please, please, please, pl—“

Riku groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I don’t even know how to be a wingman.”

“Oh it’s easy, you just be all reassuring and stuff. Please?” Kairi clasps her hands beneath her chin. 

“If it’s so easy, why don’t you just be your own wingman?”

“No! Riku, please! I need you!” she begs, blue eyes pleading. 

Riku frowns uncertainly, the drags a hand down his face, and sighs. “Fine.”

“Yes!” Kairi cheers, jumping to her feet, and throwing her arms around Riku’s neck. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

“Yeah, whatever,” Riku grunts, trying to pry himself out of Kairi’s chokehold. 

Kairi feels her confidence soaring through the clouds. With Riku’s help, this’ll be a piece of cake.  
**********

This is the opposite of a piece of cake. This is a giant, tall, thick iron wall. Kairi’s confidence has plummeted to the ground. 

Naminé is sitting in the library with a book, and she’s right there. Right there! In all her mystic wonder and glory. She’s never been, felt, this close before. She’s just right there, and she looks beautiful, and Kairi can’t do this.

“What are you waiting for?” Riku asks, oblivious to Kairi’s inner turmoil. 

“I can’t,” she says. She can’t even move. Her feet won’t listen to her.

“What do you mean ‘you cant’?” Riku asks incredulously, eyebrows raised. “Just go over there and ask if she wants to get lunch or something?”

Kairi shakes her head. “I can’t.”

Riku rolls his eyes. “Yes, you can.” He gives Kairi a little push.

She doesn’t move.

“Kairi, I will leave.”

“No!” Kairi latches onto Riku’s arm.

“Then go over there!” he says, yanking himself out of her grasp.

“Okay, okay,” she takes a deep breath, “I will.”

“Good.”

“Just stay here, and watch me.”

“Because that isn’t creepy at all.”

Kairi doesn’t respond, and makes her way to Naminé’s table. Naminé looks up, as if sending her approaching presence, and smiles at her. Kairi smiles back nervously, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Hi,” she says. Her throat feels dry.

“Hi,” Naminé says softly. She gestures at the empty chair beside her. “Want to sit?” Her voice is very quiet, and Kairi has to strain to hear her.

“Um,” Kairi bites her lip, “I actually want to... ask you something.”

Naminé pushes her glasses up, listening.

“I... um, I...” Kairi wipes her sweaty palms on her skirt.

Naminé remains quiet, waiting patiently for Kairi to speak.

“I...” Kairi falters, and she feels mortified by how hard it is to get the words out. She’s never had this problem before, as someone who always has too much to say.

She looks over at Riku, hoping to receive a form of encouragement. A thumbs up, a smile, a nod...

Riku only stares.

“What is it?” Naminé asks, concern in her eyes.

Kairi looks at her, then back at Riku, then at her again. 

She can’t do this. 

“I wanted to know if you like pillows!” Kairi shouts, not knowing what she’d just said. Her volume makes Naminé wince and recoil, like a frightened animal. Kairi berates herself. 

“I use a pillow for sleeping,” Naminé replies, frowning at Kairi strangely, “So I guess I do like pillows.”

“Okay, thanks,” Kairi mutters, then speed walks away, her face aflame.  
**********

“It’s all your fault!”

“No, that is on you.”

“Now she probably thinks I’m weird!”

“You are weird.”

“My honour is shattered!”

“You don’t have any honour. And why are you following me?” Riku stops walking, looking back at Kairi.

“You still have to help me!” she exclaims.

Riku shakes his head and continues walking. “There is no helping you. You’re beyond help.”

“I am not! You were a poor wingman!” Kairi swats Riku’s forearm.

“Ow. How was I a poor wingman? I didn’t even do anything,” he says, rubbing his arm.

“Exactly! You didn’t do anything!”

“Well excuse me. I said I didn’t know how to be a wingman.”

Kairi huffs angrily. “Sora would’ve known what to do.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not Sora.”

“I know. But you’re my only option, and you’re going to help me.”

“Is that why you’re stalking me?”

“You owe me for being such a horrible wingman and person in general.”

“Didn’t Sora tell you I was a jerk?”

“No! He said you were sweet!”

“Anyways, I don’t actually owe you anything, but you’re a tenacious leach, and I want you off my back as soon as possible. So what do you want?”

“I want you to tell me how to ask Naminé out! And cheese.”

“Cheese?”

“I want cheese. It’s my comfort food.”  
**********

An hour later, they’re sitting on the sofa at Riku’s apartment. Kairi has a bowl of cheese slices in her lap, and Riku is playing a video game.

“How should I tell her?” 

“What?” Riku’s gaze is glued to the tv screen. He turns his Wii remote, and Mario takes a sharp left with his red car.

“My crush,” Kairi pouts, sticking a cheese slice in her mouth, and wrapping the blanket around herself. The AC is cranked up high, and Kairi isn’t a fan of the cold.

“Who?”

“Naminé! How do I tell Naminé that I like her?” 

“Like that.”

“Like what?”

“You tell her exactly what you told me. You like her.”

Kairi groans. “It’s not that simple!”

“Yes it is,” Riku says.

“I don’t even know how I’m gonna face her again,” Kairi sighs despondently. 

“You just face her.”

“I officially like Sora more than you!”

“I like him more than you too.”

Kairi makes a frustrated sound. This guy is impossible! Even more so than Axel, and that’s saying something. “This is why I got to Sora for these kinds of things,” she says, “He listens to me. He’s nice to me. He boasts my morale. Unlike you.”

“Hmm? What’d you say?” The smirk on Riku’s face tells her that he’s messing with her. She huffs in annoyance, and Riku’s smirk grows wider.

“Right about now, Sora would be patting me on the back. He’d have cheese, and cookies, and chocolates ready for me. He’d be giving me a meaningful speech that would inspire me and make me feel better.”

“Yeah... I’m not gonna do that.”

“You’re so—“

“Has anybody ever told you how whiny you are?”

Kairi scoffs in offence. “Sora would never say that to me!”

“Again, not Sora.”

“I can talk to Sora about anything! He lets me go on and on about shampoo, and share my darkest secrets, and complain about my period cramps—“

“Kairi, for the last time, I do not want to hear about your period cramps.”

“You’re so mean, Riku! I could be in agonizing period pain right now, and you wouldn’t even care!”

“Why are we talking about your period?!”  
**********  
After arguing for nearly an hour, only stopping after they both realized they’d forgotten what they were arguing about, Riku has changed his game and Kairi is at the table with a pencil and paper.

“What rhymes with Naminé?”

“You’re seriously writing a poem?”

“I don’t know what else to do!” Kairi says, dropping her head in her arms in defeat. 

Riku sighs and pauses his game, going over to the kitchen table and sitting across from Kairi. “You tell her how you feel, then ask if she’s interested in going out with you.”

“I know how to do that, okay, I’ve done it before, but it’s different this time,” Kairi says, “This time, I’m scared of being rejected. Okay, do you understand that? I’m scared.” 

Riku is quiet. 

Kairi sighs, dropping the pencil, and crumpling up her stupid poem. “How did you do it?”

Riku frowns. “Do what?”

“Ask Sora out,” Kairi says, “You had a major crush on him for a long time, right? How’d you work up the nerve to ask him to be your boyfriend?”

Riku shifts awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable.

“Never mind,” Kairi sighs. It’s a personal question and she understands that. She has no right to know, even though she so desperately wants to. She can be disappointed. 

Besides, maybe it’s better if she never tells Naminé about her feelings. Her interest has always been fleeting, and she’s never stayed with anyone for longer than a week. That’s just how she rolls. And it’s fun! She likes meeting new people, going on adventures, living her life. She likes things fast, so she can try something new next. But her feelings for Naminé are a terrifying kind of new. 

A terrifying, yet exciting, kind of new. A different kind of adventure. A warm, familiar face. Something she doesn’t want to rush, but savour slowly. Something real.

She’s never felt that way about anyone before, and dammit, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t like it. 

“You wanna know what you do when you really like someone?” Riku suddenly says. 

Kairi leans forward, staring at him intently. “What?”

Riku stares back at her, and his severe expression tells her that he’s not going to mess around or make fun of her. “You look at their feet, let your heart do the talking, and don’t look up until after they answer.”

Kairi blinks. “Really?”

“Really.”

Kairi thinks about that for a minute; pictures herself doing that. 

Then she frowns. “You did that with Sora?”

Riku is quiet. 

Kairi gasps, grinning. “Sora did that with you.”

“No, he didn’t! I... I did.”

“You did?”

“...yeah.”

“Aw, that’s adorable.”

“...oh shut up.”  
**********  
The next day, Kairi approaches Naminé with a brave smile.

“Hey Naminé,” she calls, her gaze on the blond girl’s white runners.

“Yes?” Naminé responds in her soft, shy voice.

Kairi glances over her shoulder at Riku, who’s leaning against the wall in the highway, pretending to be on his phone. 

He gives her a nod.

Kairi looks at Naminé‘s shoes again and lets the beating in her chest do the talking.

**Author's Note:**

> The end. Whether she got a girlfriend or was let down gently is up to the reader’s imagination.


End file.
